102-44: First series nets UAA a pair of triple-digit efforts over Hawaii-Hilo.
As a redshirt freshman who played high school basketball in Kodiak, Alysa Horn doesn't have much experience with 100-point games, much less been the one to lift a team into triple figures.
Yet there she was Monday night at the free throw line with a chance to do the honors for the UAA women's basketball team.
Her first shot rolled around the rim and dropped on the wrong side of the iron, keeping the Seawolves stuck on 99 and prompting a groan from some of her teammates. But Horn made good on her second chance, and then 40 seconds later hit a short jumper from the lane to cap UAA's 102-44 victory over Hawaii-Hilo at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
Horn joked that she told fellow freshman Jordan Martin she was going to be the one to get the Seawolves to 100.
"I told Jordan it was my day," she said with a laugh.
Monday was just about everyone's, at least for the No. 8-ranked Seawolves, who hit the 100-point mark for the second night in a row to sweep their nonconference series with Hilo. On Sunday, UAA won 100-48.
The 2-0 Seawolves have the next week off from game action to prepare for the Great Alaska Shootout, where they'll put their title on the line against three Division I teams. The break will be especially good for 6-foot-2 sophomore center Hanna Johansson, who had 16 points and seven rebounds Sunday but played just seven minutes Monday because of ankle injury suffered Sunday.
Playing with a double-figure scorer on the bench for most of the game made Monday's offensive onslaught even more impressive.
"It's nice to score 102 without her," UAA coach Tim Moser said.
Nicci Miller made up for Johansson's absence with nine rebounds and a career-high 23 points (on 8 of 14 shooting). Her performance included scored nine points on four consecutive possessions early in the second half.
Tamar Gruwell added 15 points, Torle Nenbee had 11, Sarah Herrin 10 and Nikki Aden tallied nine points, seven rebounds and four assists on a night when 12 Seawolves contributed points.
Like Miller, Gruwell showed she can produce in a hurry -- she buried three 3-pointers during a 1-minute, 50-second stretch in the first half.
UAA connected on 57.6 percent of its shots and owned the boards 54-22, getting almost as many offensive rebounds -- 18 -- as Hilo did total rebounds.
By halftime, the Seawolves led 56-21 -- their second-biggest halftime lead over a Division II opponent in school history. It took them a little while to get their shots to go in -- Hilo actually led 5-4 after about three minutes -- but once they started hitting, they never stopped.
During a four-minute stretch in the first half, UAA hit seven of 13 shots, including three of four from 3-point range, to expand its lead from 19-8 to 36-11. UAA's longest run of the half was a 19-0 stretch during which six different players scored.
"This team can score," Moser said. "We want to get out and run, and a lot of that is predicated by our defense. Our defense will give us some easy points."
UAA's swarming defense produced 16 steals, including three early ones by 5-5 point guard Kiki Taylor (7 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 points and even one blocked shot), who for the second night in a row helped spearhead the up-tempo offense.
The lopsided wins should take some of the sting away from a 100-32 exhibition loss to Duke University last week, but the most important thing was simply to play some games, Gruwell said.
"After a game like that, you just want an opportunity to compete again," she said. "We were disappointed in ourselves, but we can use it as a learning opportunity."
Hilo is viewing its visit to Anchorage in much the same way. The Vulcans (0-2) are a young team -- East High sophomore Sheena Pio (4 points, 3 assists) is among 10 freshmen and sophomores on the roster -- and coach Daphne Honma is a believer in the adage that if you play better teams, your team gets better. Hilo will see whether it benefits from two encounters with a nationally ranked opponent tonight when it plays the first of two games in Fairbanks.
As for UAA, Hilo might not be Duke, but the games with the Vulcans were critical. UAA and Hilo both play in the West Region, and when it comes time to decide the postseason regional brackets, the NCAA selection committee looks at a team's record inside its league. Last year, UAA played just four nonconference games against West Region teams, and Moser said that may have cost the Seawolves a shot at hosting the West Region tournament last year.
This season, he scheduled seven nonconference games against West Region teams.
"It's good to be 2-0 with two region wins," he said.
HILO (44)
Deniz 1-2 1-2 3, Pio 2-4 0-0 4, Kirihara 2-9 2-2 7, Imai 4-16 1-2 10, Kimitete 2-9 2-2 8, Harris 0-3 0-1 0, Mata 0-5 0-0 0, Mueller 1-3 0-0 2, Jandoc 1-3 0-0 3, Camara 2-2 1-1 7, Corpuz 0-1 0-0 0, Torres 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-57 7-10 44.
UAA (102)
Miller 8-14 5-8 23, Aden 4-9 0-0 9, Johansson 0-1 1-2 3, Taylor 2-4 1-3 5, Gruwell 6-8 0-0 15, Collins 2-2 2-2 6, Nenbee 5-6 1-1 11, Martin 0-0 0-0 0, Stepovich 3-4 0-0 8, McBride 1-2 3-3 5, Horn 1-1 1-2 3, Herrin 4-7 1-3 10, Wohlers 1-1 0-0 2, Gourdin 2-8 0-0 4. Totals 39-68 15-25 102.
Halftime score -- UAA 56, Hilo 21.
Three-point goals -- Hilo 7-21 (Kirihara 1-2, Imai 1-6, Kimitete 2-8, Mueller 0-1, Jandoc 1-2, Camara 2-2), UAA 9-19 (Miller 2-5, Aden 1-2, Taylor 0-1, Gruwell 3-5, Stepovich 2-2, Herrin 1-3, Gourdin 0-1). Total fouls -- Hilo 22, UAA 15. Rebounds -- Hilo 22 (Kirhara 4, Kimitete 4), UAA 54 (Miller 9). Assists -- Hilo 12 (Pio 3), UAA 28 (Taylor 6, Gruwell 5). Turnovers -- Hilo 29 (Mata 7), UAA 21 (Taylor 4). Steals -- Hilo 11 (4 with 2), UAA 16 (Taylor 3, McBride 3). Blocked shots -- Hilo 1 (Kimitete), UAA 4 (Gruwell 2). Fouled out -- none. Officials -- Bruce Corson, Bill McNew, Gabby Lujan. Att -- 309.
Find Beth Bragg online at adn.com/contact/bbragg or call 257-4335.
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